Field of the Invention
The field relates generally to media input feed systems for an imaging device having a removable media tray.
Description of the Related Art
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 794 (d)) to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508, federal agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to access available to others. These provisions apply to operable controls which are defined as components of a product that require physical contact for normal operation. Operable controls include, but are not limited to, input and output media trays. Operable controls are to be operable with one hand and not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate operable controls shall not be greater than a maximum of five pounds (22.2 N). Thus, under these requirements, the force needed to close or open a media tray must not exceed 22.2 N.
Media trays having a media pick force applied along the same line on which the media tray is closed or opened are known as in-line media trays. However, inline media trays typically require a latching force in excess of 10 pounds (44.4 N) to keep the media tray closed during picking of media from the media tray and to prevent the media tray from opening or ejecting during a media pick operation or during a pick drive motor stall condition. The picking force applied by pick mechanism to ensure successful media picking is in most cases in excess of 22.2 N. In the past, these types of in-line media trays used spring-loaded latching devices to hold the media tray in place. However, the opening force required to overcome the latching force of these latching devices is in excess of the 22.2 N limit required under Section 508.
It would be advantageous to have a media tray that may be opened and closed using a force less than of 22.2 N. It would be further advantageous, that such a media tray would also provide a high latching force (a force in excess of 22.2 N) that is greater than a media pick force or the maximum pick motor stall force and will remain closed during media picking operations or during a pick drive motor stall condition.